Doncaster Knights need to get 'humility' back in performance against Bedford Blues

Knights had put themselves in position to challenge big-spending Ealing Trailfinders for the Championship title after winning five of their opening six games, but surprising defeats to Caldy and Ampthill either side of Christmas has led to some soul-searching in the dressing room.

“We’ve just slipped off the last couple,” lamented director of rugby Boden. “There’s been some honest conversations in the camp, see where we are and why it’s happened.

“We’ve been a little bit lacklustre and a little bit complacent. It’s not individuals, it’s everybody, we're all in it together.

“We were five from six before Christmas and in a good spot.

“I don’t want to take any credit away from the other teams, Caldy deserved the win and Ampthill did too.

“The biggest thing we go back to us producing the best version of us. You don’t need to be a rugby genius to work out there’s a lot of stuff we can control to perform better. We’ve got to get back to rolling our sleeves up and remembering that you don’t get anything for free in this league.

“We need a bit of humility back in our performance.”

Opponents do not come much tougher than Bedford, their long-standing second-tier rivals.

“They are an experienced, well-organised team,” said Boden. “I’ve got a lot of respect for them, and where we are now we’re probably backs against the wall with no one expecting much of us.

“We’ve got to make sure we get the fundamentals right to make sure it’s our day again.”